Visa.........CHECK!

Proud to say that I picked up my student visa today!!! Two weeks from today I will already be in Santiago de Compostela!  so much to do so little time :-) 

Random fun facts about Santiago de Compostela

A few facts and myths about Galicia's premier city.

• Santiago de Compostela is in the A Coruna province and although not the provincial capital, is in fact the capital of the region of Galicia.

• Santiago is Galicia's most popular and visited city by foreigners, but it is not the largest. That title falls to Vigo. A Coruna also has a larger population.

• The original town of Santiago was nothing more than a monastic development that housed one dozen monks, given the role of looking after the grave of St. James after its discovery in the 9th century.

• Santiago claims to have the oldest hotel in the world, the "Hostal dos Reyes Católicos" (now a parador). It has an attractive facade and is on the same "obradoiro" square as the main cathedral.

• The exact origins of the word "Compostela" are unknown, but it is thought that they derive from the similar Latin words meaning star or light field - a reference to the images seen by a hermit above the resting place of St. James shortly before it was discovered.

• Santiago de Compostela produced the world's first recognized guidebook, the 12th century "Codex Calixtinus", which offered guidance to pilgrims, wishing to follow the "Camino de Santiago" (Way of St James) route on the holy pilgrimage to the Cathedral.

• Santiago de Compostela remains the third holiest place in Christendom and the number of holy pilgrims continues to increase annually.

• The final night of festival celebrations during the St.James fiesta, culminates in a massive concert on the "Obradoiro" square attended by Spain's royal family.

• Santiago de Compostela is at present Galicia's regional capital. It is also the regions broadcasting and legislatory center and has one of the regions two internatioinal airports. The other airport is in A Coruna and is soon to commence flights from Heathrow to Coruna via Iberia airlines.

• Santiago de Compostela has a population of approx. 89, 000 and is 250 metres above sea level. It is 630 km from Madrid.

• Santiago de Compostela is a UNESCO World Heritage Site (since 1993).

• The weather in Galicia is perhaps the only questionable element if you are considering holidaying in this region. Whilst the coastal towns and cities do enjoy plenty of sun, Santiago de Compostela has the ominous reputation of averaging over 300 rainy days per year, so it is always a good idea to take an umbrella.

Oneworld revolves around you!!

Soon enough I will have the pleasure of flying with three of the founding Oneworld Alliance members! Three countries in less than twenty four hours will be amazing, haven't done that in a while! Have to keep building my AAdvantage Miles one day I will be a millionaire (in miles of course!!!) 

Santiago de Compostela

With only 15 more days to go till my arrival in Santiago, I believe that it is essential that I blog on the city so y'all have an idea of where and what I got myself into. It is an autonomous community of Galicia, today's destination is the city's cathedral  "Way of Saint James". The cathedral borders the main plaza of the well-preserved old city. Legend has it that the remains of the apostle James were brought to Galicia for burial in 813AD. Legend has it that a bright star guided a shepherd who was watching his flock at night to the burial site in Santiago de Compostela. the shepherd quickly reported his discovery to the bishop (Teodormiro), who immediately notified King Alfonso II in Ovideo. The cathedral is built on top of the said remains of the apostle, the Catholic church was not only able to maintain their stronghold in northern Spain during the Christian crusades against the Moors, but also led to the growth and development of the city. 

Right across the square is the Pazo de Raxoi, the town hall and seat of the Galician Xunta (more on later). USC (University of Santiago de Compostela, establish in the early 16th century. The main campus is said to be seen best from an alcove in the large municipal park in the center of the city. A lot of many narrow winding streets full of historic buildings. Divided between the new town (a xona nova in Galician, la zona nueva in Spanish orensanche) and the old town (a zona vella in Galician or la zona vieja in Spanish, trade-branded aszona monumental), a mix of middle age residents and younger students running throughout the city untill the early hours of the morning can often be found. Radiating from the center of the city, the historic catherdral is surrounded by pave granite streets, tucked away in the old town, and separated from the newer part of the city by the largest of many parks throughout the city, Parque de Alameda. Whether in the old town or in the new one party-goers will oftern find themselves following their tapas by dancing the night away. OH NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!